“I don't want to sound like a sore loser, but when it's over, if I'm dead, kill him.”
~ Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1969
Let’s talk Sundance
I wanted to mix things up a little this week and replace the Upcoming Releases with some of the best trailers from Sundance, which fellow-film-newsletter editor, Karl (Smash Cut) did a great job of covering (click for a thread of highlights).
However, unless I’m missing something, the trailers don’t exist yet, at least not for the film I really wanted to talk about, so I’ll write about it instead…
CODA, child of deaf adults, won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for US Dramatic - and Apple bought the rights for a Sundance-record-sum of $25 million.
Starring British actress Emilia Jones, Ruby is the only one in her family that isn’t deaf and proves to have a talent for singing. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents.
When a trailer does come by, I’ll be sure to share.
Until then feel free to reply or comment with your thoughts of my reviews, to make suggestions for future editions, or to simply talk about your favourite film!
Thanks for reading! 🙏
Do you know someone who’d like a taste of Salty Popcorn? Feel free to send it on.
Upcoming Releases
Minari
UK: 19 March // USA: 12 February
Starring Steven Yeun, Minari tells the story of a Korean family that moved to a farm in 1980’s Arkansas in search of the American Dream.
This film won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for US Dramatic in 2020 - and I’m seeing it everywhere.
Judas and the Black Messiah
UK: 26 February // USA: 12 February
Another Sundance Premiere, Judas and the Black Messiah is inspired by a true story and follows the betrayal of Chicago’s Black Panther chairman, Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out), by William O’Neil (LaKeith Stanfield, Sorry to Bother You).
Fact of the week
Bend It Like Beckham, which screened at Sundance in 2003, became the first Western film to play on North Korean television.
Review: Promising Young Woman
Star rating:
3.5 (out of 5)
Worth a watch?
Yes
Where to watch:
Amazon Prime
Blurb:
Following the Sundance theme, Promising Young Woman premiered last year and had its initial release postponed due to coronavirus - but it’s out now! Or, will be tomorrow if you’re in the UK.
Written and directed by Emerald Fennel, executive producer of Killing Eve, this revenge thriller will have you gripped as you see Cassie (Carey Mulligan) use herself as bait to prey on predatory men. This film is a darkly-comical tale of retribution that doesn’t hold back in shining a light on rape culture.
The review (NO spoilers):
Carey Mulligan is superb as Cassie and it’s essentially her performance that lifts this film from mediocrity.
I found it interesting how it targets the unassuming ‘nice guy’ to show that anyone can be a predator. This is embedded in the roots of the film, as the male co-stars—Adam Brody (Gilmore Girls), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad) and Max Greenfield (New Girl)—have all typically been cast as ‘nice guys’ throughout their careers.
Although this is a nice touch, the supporting actors’ characters (and their performances) came off a little flat and most contributed little, if anything at all, to the overall story. I’m not just talking about the men in the film either. There was an opportunity for both Cassie’s mother (Jennifer Coolidge) and friend/boss Gail (Laverne Cox) to have a much deeper impact on the film but it goes unfulfilled.
Despite this, there are many things that Promising Young Woman did right. It was funny, it had a decent soundtrack, it was wonderfully shot and there’s something gratifying about seeing predatory men get their comeuppance.
Unlike other films and shows that center on rape (like 13 Reasons Why), this film isn’t overly-graphic in the way it portrays sexual abuse, which is a good thing. Whilst I’m not necessarily against on-screen violence (that’s a much deeper conversation), Fennel proves that you can still make a point without actually showing that much. But that doesn’t mean it’s always an easy watch.
Scroll down for the critic’s cut and what’s coming in the next issue.
If you liked Promising Young Woman…
Hard Candy
2005 | Amazon Prime Video
Hard Candy falls under the radar for many, but this was the film that first shone a spotlight on Elliot Page. Here we see a teenage girl (Page) seek justice against Jeff (Patrick Wilson), a photographer that grooms young girls online.
The critic’s cut 🚨SPOILER ALERT🚨:
The best stories are the ones that you can’t predict and there were a few twists in Promising Young Woman that I didn’t see coming. This in itself kept me on the edge of my seat.
For example, when Cassie paid someone to sexually assault her old friend Madison (Alison Brie) it felt more than extreme and it was even worse when she took the daughter of her old dean to a roomful of college boys…
At first it was easy to believe that Cassie was so hellbent on revenge that she didn’t care who got hurt - or how badly. But when we find out that she actually mislead the characters—as well as the audience—we realise that she does have a conscience.
Maybe you saw these twists coming, but I didn’t and that’s one of the things I loved most about this film.
In the next issue:
Bliss
UK: 5th February // US: 5th Februrary | Watch the Trailer
Hi Thomas, I am looking forward to reading more of your reviews. I thought "Promising Young Woman" was fabulous on so many levels. The way that Fennell brought dark comedy, revenge, and analysis of rape culture together in one film was so innovative. If you're interested, you can read my review, but there are spoilers! https://chaiselounge.substack.com/p/promising-young-woman-seeking-revenge